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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24353566">Food of Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillyHollow/pseuds/ChillyHollow'>ChillyHollow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cooking, Gen, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:02:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>684</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24353566</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillyHollow/pseuds/ChillyHollow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>… the food of love…<br/>Give me excess of it….</p><p>Duke Orsino, from the opening of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Romantic Relationships - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Food of Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Look at these strawberries!The ones on top are ripe but the ones underneath in the package aren’t.That grocer is a major cheat.This really messes up the nice lemon sponge dessert I’d planned for us.”</p><p>“Got any balsamic vinegar?” he asked.</p><p>“Yes? Why?”</p><p>“We can slice the strawberries, add sugar and then when we add a spoonful of vinegar….Well, you’ll see.”</p><p>Later….</p><p>“I think you are a culinary genius!” she told him.</p><p>“Does that mean you’ll come to mine for dinner next week?”[pours more white wine]</p><p>“Absolutely!”</p><p> </p><p>************************************</p><p>His flat was small but very tidy.She’d somehow expected he would be a slob but that was clearly not the case.The tiny kitchen table was already set with plates and silverware, there were wine glasses ready and a bottle of red was open and breathing on the counter.She’d been greeted by a kiss but he was preoccupied with cutting up ripe tomatoes and pieces of fresh mozzarella which he drizzled with olive oil and a little basil.He cleaned the knife, turned the oven on low, put a pot of water on the stove to boil, and sliced a baguette which he then buttered and sprinkled with garlic salt.The bread slices went on a baking sheet and were put in the oven which he then turned off.Next he grated Parmesan cheese into a bowl, showing more expertise with a cheese grater than she’d expected. </p><p>When the water came to a boil, the spaghetti was dumped in.He grabbed a saucepan and melted half a stick of butter in it.By this time she was fascinated by what he was planning, watching closely as he added fresh grated pepper to the pan and stirred it a bit. He noticed her careful watching. “It’s called Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe.Very Italian.My hours are long and erratic so I taught myself to cook fast but tasty meals so I wouldn’t spend a fortune on fast food that’s all empty calories.I’ll add the spaghetti to the butter in the pan with some of the cooking water, let the sauce it makes thicken, toss in the grated cheese and stir.It’s served with more grated black pepper and a little more grated Parmesan on top.Pour us some wine, will you?”</p><p>He plated the pasta for her, added slices of garlic bread, and they sat down at his little table.It was delicious. </p><p>Dessert, served in the bedroom next door, was even more tasty.</p><p> </p><p>************************************</p><p>“You are making Belgian waffles?!Tonight?”</p><p>“No, just making the dough.It’ll stay in the frig overnight and we’ll eat them tomorrow morning.”</p><p>“How do you stay so petite eating waffles all the time?”</p><p>“You know how active I am at work, especially my part time job.”</p><p>“Do I ever!Can I have a demonstration of your newest burlesque moves?”</p><p>“You bet.But first I have to knead my dough.”</p><p>“How about I stand behind you and kiss your neck as you knead?”</p><p>[laughter]</p><p>Later that evening she punched down the dough and kneaded it again, adding pearl sugar to the mix, then divided the dough into small balls wrapped in cling film that went back into the frig.The next morning the waffle iron toasted each ball into a chewy waffle with a caramelized sugar glaze from the melted pearl sugar.They added sweetness to the morning kisses he gave her before he left for work.</p><p> </p><p>************************************</p><p>He baked scones for them to have Sunday morning with clotted cream and jam.They smelled heavenly fresh from the oven.He had found fresh clotted cream at the grocery yesterday and some cute little individual pots of strawberry jam, so he’d purchased all the ingredients for scones as well.He handed her a plate with a scone, clotted cream and her own little jam jar.She gave him a big smile and a kiss, settling in on his sofa to eat her scone and read the Sunday paper.The jam jar was empty, though.Except for an engagement ring.<br/><br/>She was almost too excited to eat her scone.Almost.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Everyone seems to be cooking a lot these days, just because they can't eat out all the time.  <br/>I hope that lasts.  It's healthier and it also is an expression of love towards your friends and family.<br/>But then I like to cook.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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